A Curious Puppeteer
by Vixin2
Summary: The first thing Dorothy saw was darkness. Then a voice made her an offer, involving taking the role of 'Puppeteer'. Although hesitant, she accepts. She'll take her role, and do the best she can. But, being a curious woman and having a love of mystery, she also tries to find out what she can instead of just blindly going along with it. Rated T just in case. I own nothing but my oc.
1. A Deal in Darkness

Who was she? Where was she from? How did she find herself in this… blackness? This eerie darkness?

That was what the young woman wearing slim grey framed eyeglasses asked her mind as she stayed where she was. But her mind was unable to answer immediately. Instead, it required her to stay in her spot for the moment to try and think through things carefully.

What was her name? What was her name? The young woman stroked her chin in thought.

… Dorothy. Dorothy Eve. Yes. Yes, that sounded correct. Very correct. The young woman allowed herself to smile. It was a small thing, but it was something she felt was worth smiling about in this domain. It made her feel a little complete already, just knowing she knew her name.

Now. Where was she from? That made the smile falter. She couldn't recall. But, it was a slightly minor thing. Given where she was, she wasn't sure knowing where she was from would make too much of a difference. At least with her name, she could tell it to people. That is, if there were any around here.

So what question was left? Ah, what had happened?

…

…

…

She grimaced and was only half aware when her hand went towards her head. Dorothy had spent a little more time thinking on this question, but she couldn't remember anything. All she got was a sense of pain in her head. Like she had been hit there.

So, to summerize what she could so far, her name was Dorothy, she couldn't remember where she came from and she from what tiny evidence she had, the reason she was here possibly involved the pain in her head.

… At least she knew some things. Better than nothing she supposed.

Dorothy looked herself over, just to make sure she was physically fine (she wasn't sure why she hadn't earlier). She saw she was wearing brown hiking boots, denim capris and a black off-the-shoulder top. Simple, but at least it was practical in a sense. At least to her. Who knows what could happen here. Bringing a hand to her head again, she felt her hair was in a wavy bob-cut. And brown when she managed to pull a lock in front of her eyes briefly. To check on it out of mild curiosity.

After that small check, Dorothy looked around again and folded her arms. Considering her next option. It was like she was standing in a black canvas of black. No sign of walls nor floors. No sign of when the darkness ended. It was definitely unnatural. Maybe a tad bit unnerving.

Would it make a difference if Dorothy stayed where she was, or started walking? She wanted to say no, though the simple fact that walking would give her something to do was a fairly strong reason to start walking.

So that's what Dorothy did. She walked. And walked. And walked. How long she did it for, she couldn't recall. But the young woman only stopped once the entire walked to rest, so it couldn't have been that long.

Could it? Dorothy had no watch on her, so time wasn't something she could keep track of right now. Hell, she could have been in the black place longer then she thought. Longer then before she gained consciousness here. It could have been days, weeks, months or years for all she knew.

"_What is your name?_"

Stopping, Dorothy looked around. The voice was definitely masculine as far as she could tell. Though not quite human as the words sounded a bit gargled. Like, an animal was just able to growl out each of the words into English she was just about able to understand.

"… Dorothy?" Since there wasn't exactly anyone to see her possibly make a fool of herself, there wasn't any hesitation in answering the question. Though the hesitance could be heard in her way of answering.

"_Do you know where you are?_"

"No, not at all." Dorothy folded her arms, eyes moving up above her. "Could you tell me?"

"_I do know this is a plain between life and death._"

"Life and death? So…" It shortly came to Dorothy as her eyes widened. "So I'm dead?!" That pain that had been in her head… Had something hit her so hard that she died?

"_You don't appear dead to me. Perhaps you're just in a coma? And your soul just… wandered outside for the time being?_"

Dorothy thought this over. Who was to say what happened to the soul after death? Maybe the voice was right. If that was the case, it was a fairly boring experience until the voice started talking to her.

"_But whatever happened, I have a proposition._"

"Oh?"

"_Yes. With the offer I make you, it would give you something to do until you return to your body if you're in a coma. If you're dead, this can be your second chance at life. You don't exactly have anything to lose._"

Dorothy's fingers fiddled with the hem of one of her sleeves. She could see the sense of the voice's words. Whatever the reason for her being here, it couldn't really get any worse. Could it? It couldn't hurt to listen to his (assuming it was male) offer.

"And… What would I have to do?"

"_You'll be assisting in a holy mission_," the voice went straight to the point.

"A holy mission?" Dorothy looked around again, on the off chance she might spot the speaker. "And… What exactly is this mission that is supposedly, 'holy'?"

"_It won't exactly be you yourself that does this mission. Rather you will be leading. You will be assigned to a being called The Batter, and assist him in this holy quest._"

Dorothy wasn't exactly sure what to make of this at first. All it made her feel was at least a little sceptic. Maybe even a little irritated. Who couldn't be?

"It sounds… interesting. But, you still haven't exactly said what I'm supposed to do exactly."

"_The Batter is a puppet, a marionette,_" the voice finally started explaining, much to Dorothy's relief. "_He cannot move from where he is in Zone 0. He needs a puppeteer. Someone to guide him, give him orders to attack, when to stand by so he may heal, and someone to aid in puzzle solving._"

It sounded fairly simple enough. Dorothy didn't think that could be denied. But the guiding and puppeteer parts…

"So, am I supposed to be… hovering over him with those puppet strings to make him walk?" Dorothy asked awkwardly.

"_Don't be stupid._" Dorothy dropped her arms to her sides at the blunt reply as she gave an indignant cry. The question was a bit silly, she knew that. But there was no need for the voice to be so bluntly rude. "_If you agree to my offer, there will be a binding connection between the two of you. Think of it more like an invisible perimeter surrounding you. The Batter will not be able to stray large distances from you._"

"And outside that perimeter, he wouldn't be able to walk?"

"_Like I said. He's a puppet. A puppet that can't walk without being near its master._"

Dorothy couldn't say she liked the metaphor too much. It just seemed wrong. But she knew she wouldn't be so condescending towards this 'Batter' like the voice seemed to be. And thinking over the deal so far, there didn't seem to be too much wrong. Until one thing did occur to her.

"If I agree to be a puppeteer, can I be harmed?"

"_Yes. But the Batter will keep you safe. Even if it goes against a previous order._"

Dorothy had to give some points for honesty at the very least. Knowing she could be harmed could at least give some motivation to not be lazy and be attentive.

"_Do you agree or not?_"

"… I'm still not entirely sure…" Dorothy paused a moment. "What do you think the chances are of at least some of my memory from my life returning?"

"_How should I know?_" Dorothy sighed. She supposed he may have had a small point. Disembodied voice or not, she doubted it was some sort of omnipotent god. Well… Perhaps her memory wold return in time. She had some sort of head trauma, but that didn't guarantee that she had some kind of permanent amnesia.

"_I'll ask one more time, and I want an answer. I hate delaying. Yes, or no?_"

There was a certain to the speaker's tone this time. It actually made Dorothy feel a bit nervous. Swallowing thickly, she thought hard on it. Reviewing everything she knew.

The pros said that she didn't really have anything to loose, the cons said there could always be something the speaker left out. The scales were about even. Yes led to untold possibilities, adventures, glory and oh so many things children fantasize about doing. For all she knew, she could live the adventures one could only dream of.

But, fantasies did not mean it would all be perfect. She was susceptible to harm as the voice said. The question of why exactly she was picked also came to mind, or why this 'Batter' was a living puppet to begin with.

However, she was getting a chance Dorothy was sure not many got. Sure, there was a possibility she may come to regret it. But as thought and said again and again.

What was there to lose right now?

"… Yes. I'll… I'll take the role of Puppeteer." Even though her mind was made up, Dorothy still couldn't stop her voice from having a tentative tone.

"_Good._" Dorothy was almost certain there was a twinge of relief in the still growling voice. "Just remember…"

Dorothy felt invisible hands over her eyes, and her breathing quickened. The voice almost sounded like hissing in her right ear.

"_The mission is all that matters._

"_Good luck._"

* * *

><p><strong>So, I've recently played and beaten 'OFF', and while I was listening to 'Over the Rainbow' in the credits, this idea came to me. Given how much 'OFF' fanfiction there is, I'll admit I'm a little uncertain about whether this story will be worth continuing or not (especially since I've been procrastinating from other stories XD). But, I decided it would be worth being optimistic and hope this will be an enjoyable series for you dear readers :3 <strong>

**Remember. Reviews are more then welcome, so if you have the time, please do so. I like to hear what people think :)**


	2. Puppeteer and Puppet

Dorothy had opened her eyes with a start, as though waking from a nightmare. She didn't cry out though, instead she hissed from the sudden light hitting her poor eyes. Dorothy would have considered that experience in that darkness nothing more but a very strange dream. But the lack of comfortable bed had proven that idea wrong. Instead, she found herself laying on her side on some kind of lemon yellow surface.

Pushing her glasses up, Dorothy looked closer to the ground. Something appeared odd about it. It had a shine to it very similar to light reflecting off metals. But touching it with her bare hand, it felt more like stone or concrete. Noticing she was not too far from water, Dorothy quickly crawled over to look at her reflection.

She didn't seem any different then she last checked (Although she now knew her hairstyle had a side fringe, and dark blue eyes). Dorothy held a hand to her cheek, albeit she was a little absentminded about this. She seemed to be well. Physically speaking at least. There were no bruises, wounds or scars of any kind on her face and body as far as she could tell. That was good. If she was lucky it would stay like that. Looking at her reflection she could definitely say that while her actually age had escaped her mind for the time being, it felt correct to guess and say she was at least in her early to mid-twenties.

Leaving her own train of thought, Dorothy finally noticed something odd about the water itself. While back home water usually tended to be clear or look blue because of the sky, the water in front of her (while it did look a little clear near the ground she was on) was white. It even reminded her a little of milk in its appearance. Curious, Dorothy dipped a finger in it. It felt cool like water did. Feeling a little braver, she put her hand in it. It felt like it was meant to be water, yet at the same time it felt as though it was meant to be some kind of solid that had been melted. There was only one other way to see if this was meant to be water.

It may not have been the smartest thing, but Dorothy dipped her hands inside the substance and cupped her hands together to gather up enough water for her to at least taste it. Bringing her hands up to her mouth, Dorothy gave the liquid a wary look before leaving her head closer and dipped her tongue in it.

The taste… Well, Dorothy wasn't sure how to describe it. It did seem to taste like it was meant to be water. However, there was a strong taste in it. Was it… Plastic? Dorothy didn't feel thirsty, so she felt she had enough of an excuse to not drink the water unless she found someone who could say it was safe.

Dorothy stood back up on her feet, and briefly looked to the sky. It was as white as (what Dorothy really did hope it was) the water. Or, was it an extremely pale shade of blue? She couldn't really say for certain. So far everything Dorothy had seen was strange to her, but the young woman did enjoy the gentle breeze in the air. It actually made it this area seem tranquil.

"… I should try and find this Batter," she said to herself. He was why she was here to begin with. He was be irritated with her for not delaying and considering he was perhaps the only one who could explain this new world to her as well as being her companion for her stay here, she didn't want to start with a bad impression of herself.

She had turned around to begin her new walk, but had barely taken a few steps before she stopped again. Stepping back one step in surprise.

In the middle of the ground, a man sat on the ground. Head held down low limply, as were his arms. His clothes, the type of uniform worn by baseball players, and hat were monochrome. Just black and white. Combined with his pale white skin, he truly stood out amongst the yellow. Dorothy noticed the metal baseball bat attached to this man's back.

Would it be too presumptuous to guess he was The Batter? Everything about him so far seemed to scream yes, so she doubted she could be blamed if it turned out she was somehow mistaken.

"Um, excuse me? Sir? Are you The Batter?"

She waited a moment, but no response came. Was he asleep? Or had Dorothy not spoken loud enough for him to hear. Deciding it may have been the latter she cleared her throat and spoke a little louder, sounding more confident this time.

"Excuse me, but are you The Batter?"

There was still no response. Was he asleep? Perhaps he had actually found her first when she had been asleep. That is, assuming she had been asleep to begin with and did not just transport from that darkness to this place in a split second. If she had been asleep, had he decided to rest as well before the started this quest? Or had he been asleep before she came here?

Dorothy walked around him until she was in front of him and bent her knees down until she was crouched in front of him. She bent her head down a little to get a better look at his face from under the peak of his black hat. He didn't seem too out of the ordinary. Both his eyes were close, and he had a single line of eye black smeared under both eyes. Age-wise, Dorothy didn't think he would have been too much older than her. Maybe… late twenties, early thirties?

"Hello? Are you alright?" she asked, asking a little louder while trying not to sound obnoxiously loud. There was still no response, and started to worry Dorothy a little. Maybe she was overreacting just a little, but it would set her mind at ease a little to check his pulse. So Dorothy reached her hand down to pick up the Batter's left hand to check for said pulse.

However, the second both her hands touched his she had to draw back her hands sharply, giving a sharp cry from pain. It felt as though thick nails had been hammered into her fingers and thumbs through her fingernails, roughly without remorse at the exact same time. Looking over her trembling hands though Dorothy saw no physical signs that this had occurred. No bleeding and certainly no nails. The pain was still there, though it seemed to ease. Unbearably slow as it was.

"The hell…?" Dorothy touched her fingers gently, trying to see if she could feel what she couldn't see. But nothing seemed to be attached to them. She looked back to the man, and her muscles tensed briefly.

His arm was up, and he appeared to be looking at it as he opened and closed his hand in an almost testing manner. He didn't appear to be in pain, so Dorothy was left to wonder if the painful sensation she had experienced had been felt by him as well. His head looked up, and just under the peak of his hat Dorothy could see two red eyes staring at her.

He just stared. No curiosity, irritation or any form of positive nor negative emotion could be seen clearly as he simply stared at her. Dorothy cleared her throat as she started to feel twinge of nerves and adjusted her glasses.

"Erm, hello. A-are you the Batter?"

"… Yes," he replied as he stood up. His voice was monotone, and sounded dry from lack of use. "And you're my puppeteer."

Dorothy couldn't exactly tell if he was asking her or just saying it, but either way she decided to just nod as she stood up.

"Y-yes. I'm Dorothy."

The Batter stretched his limbs out. During this, Dorothy noticed that the Batter nearly towered over her. She only came up to his shoulders which meant that any conversation between the two would definitely involve her looking up and him looking down.

"Let's go," the Batter said bluntly after cracking his neck.

"Go? Right now?" She only asked because she would have thought the Batter have wanted to do something else before starting on their quest. Maybe eat, or drink.

"The world needs to be purified, and only we can do that," he replied back.

"Are you sure there… There isn't anything else you need to do first? Eat? Drink? I'm not trying to sound… naggy, or anything. But if you were there for a while…"

"I'm fine," he insisted. "I just need to move, and we can do that when we actually start."

"… Alright, let's go then," Dorothy sighed. "Just let me know when you get tired or hungry or something. If I'm really in charge of you, that means I can't just let you work non-stop." She could have sworn she heard a faint snort from the Batter.

"… Fine. Can we just go now?"

The young woman pursed her lips together, but nodded as she murmured a small alright and began walking. The lack of footsteps being heard made her glance back on the possibility the Batter hadn't followed her for some reason. But he was. He just didn't make a sound. If it weren't for the brief moment of physical contact with him earlier on, Dorothy would have thought he was a ghost of some sort.

The yellow ground they walked on was just a narrow strip of land. The silence other than the sound of the water moving had made Dorothy feel a little uneasy. It made her hope really that there wouldn't be too much silence in between purifying.

Whatever exactly that was supposed to be.

* * *

><p><strong>So, from the views I've gotten so far on this story and the review (to which I say thanks by the way), I'm guessing this story will (hopefully) be worthwhile :) I might even start a small comedy section at the end of each chapter if a funny idea comes to me. <strong>

**Anyway, see you next chapter :)**


	3. Everybody Loves Cats!

A building the same shade of yellow as the ground came into view after a short time of walking down the narrow strip of land. Well, more like it was three buildings ranging from short, middle and big built together as one. But it appeared to be empty, and it seemed there was no way to get to the other side of this place then to go through the structure itself. At least, it being empty was the feeling Dorothy got from it. Other than the Batter, she had yet to meet another person here.

Well. The Batter and now a cat sleeping on a windowsill.

"Huh. A cat," Dorothy mused as they neared the building, squinting her eyes to get a better look at it. It was definitely an adult cat at least, with sleek white fur. "I wonder if it has an owner nearby," Dorothy mused. The Batter didn't seem to show much interest when she looked to him briefly. If anything, he seemed just a little bored. She supposed he wasn't much of a cat person. Looking back to the feline though it seemed to have awaken while Dorothy had glanced away, and was currently stretching its body out. Tail swishing in the air with some pride before he jumped to the ground.

Seeing them, the cat tilted his head to the side before he began walking towards them. It was a little surprising to Dorothy. Most cats avoided strangers. Perhaps the cat was just used to people in general? At least, that would have been plausible had there been anyone else around. Stopping just a few feet away from them, it looked at the Batter and Dorothy with amber eyes. The corners of its mouth curved upwards, giving a faint illusion of a perpetual smile. Though not preventing it from ever showing a proper frown if the time ever came. Two small fangs poking downwards from his upper jaw could be seen.

Dorothy thought it looked cute. Especially when it brought a paw to its chin as though considering something.

"Hmm… There cannot be any other living beings in Zone 0, so I must assume that the two of you are only a mere figment of my imagination." The cat glanced to the Batter. "Although, it is quite intriguing that one of these illusions should look like the sleeping man. He's never moved when I tried attainting his attention after all."

Had Dorothy not seen the cat's mouth move with those words, she would have though there was someone hiding from them. But no. She heard the cat speak in a low voice, with curious and intelligent tone, and because of this her mouth faintly opened. A part of her mind not fully certain that this had just happened.

"Y-you can talk?!" It just slipped out of her mouth by accident. She may have had some amnesia of some of her own life, but that didn't mean Dorothy didn't know anything at all about her home world and what was considered normal and not. And she knew for certain that cats didn't speak except for meowing, and sometimes hissing. She would have been prepared to apologise had the cat not begin to chuckle to itself. Only now did Dorothy notice its teeth. They looked human, except for a pair of fangs on both upper and lower jaws.

Somehow, the cat still looked adorable in Dorothy's eyes. In a strange, cute and slightly creepy sort of way.

"Well, dear fata morgana," he lightly shuck his head towards Dorothy. "It would be shocking for me if I found out I had never spoken a word to begin with. It would mean either I or all of whom I have ever spoken with were either mad or non-existent. But as I know I can speak and can confirm this as I have memories of speaking since my first words as a young kitten. Though I can't confirm that neither of you are illusions in my mind.

"Oh, but I have been terribly rude. Imagination or not, I have yet to introduce myself. I am the Judge, and I am aching for your name dear elusory interlocutor."

"I'm the Batter," Batter spoke up for the first time since he and Dorothy started walking. "I've been assigned to a sacred mission."

"It is a pleasure." The Judge gave a respectful nod to the Batter. "However, it is not the puppet I was addressing, but the puppeteer controlling it." His eyes shifted back to Dorothy. "What is your name, dear puppeteer?"

"I-it's Dorothy," she replied back, feeling a bit awkward for talking to a cat. Especially one that seemed to think she and the Batter were hallucinations of some sort. Even if the cat had already proven without doubt that it was definitely a sentient being. But she supposed if talking cats with some human-like teeth were normal in this place, she would just have to try and accept that there would likely be stranger things in this world.

Even if her likely curiosity would lead her to question some things.

"Tis a pleasure, dear Dorothy."

"Thank you." Dorothy coughed a little. She was only beginning to notice it now, but something felt a bit different about the air. Though she couldn't quite place it.

"I believe we're in need of your services," said the Batter. Could the Judge be of any help? Dorothy wasn't sure, but if he could be of assistance then Dorothy certainly wasn't going to complain. The Judge gave a low chuckle, closing his eyes as his smile become gentler. He looked quite serene as Dorothy looked at him.

"Many people are in need of my services, you know," he said sagely. He then opened his eyes sharply, his smile widening into a slightly playful one.

"Everybody love cats," he said, sounding more cheerful as he walked towards Dorothy. "We rub ourselves against their legs and purr in the most insistent manner." As if to prove this point, he walked in between and around Dorothy's legs before sitting by her right leg and began rubbing his head against it. "They adore that," he purred.

Dorothy actually had to agree with him. How could she not?

"I don't think I can deny that," Dorothy murmured as she bent her knees down a little and reached down to scratch him behind his ear, causing him to purr more, and leaning his head more towards Dorothy's hand.

"Mmm… A little more to the left…" he murmured in between purring. Dorothy had to stifle a giggle. For a cat who had a serious sounding name and appeared to be very intelligent so far, he still seemed to appreciate the small things that cats normally liked.

"I'm not talking about that kind of help," the Batter interrupted the moment. Dorothy could have sworn she saw the white cat pout a little before moving away from Dorothy to look up at the tall man.

"I see…" there was an edge of disappointment in his voice. "But what sort of service could I offer to an ectoplasmic entity?"

"I have a sacred mission I must fulfil. I must purify the world."

The Judge stared at him for a moment. Dorothy started to feel a little uncomfortable. She still had yet to find out what exactly purifying the world would involve. But asking about it now just didn't feel the best thing to do in front of the Judge.

"There is no objective more laudable than yours," Judge finally said, shaking his head a little. "I accept to serve you as a guide through this area, if it is of any help to you."

"Thanks," Batter nodded, just before the Judge turned and began to walk away from them.

"Come now. I can lead you both to where you may begin your odyssey," called the Judge as the near the windowsill he had been napping on previously. He jumped on it, before jumping again to quickly move up the wall above the window to reach the top of the smallest building, before scaling up another wall to reach the roof of the middle building.

"Let's go then," Dorothy said as she began to walk quickly to catch up, the Batter not too far behind. Finding a ladder easily, Dorothy climbed up first and once reaching the roof stepped back to allow the Batter enough space to get on the roof.

"Allow me to confess that I find you both to be quite tangible for a phantasmagorial being." The Judge looked a little more interested then before. "Might you both be in fact creatures of flesh and blood?" The Batter looked at one hand half-heartedly before looking back to the cat.

"I think so, yes."

"So I have been mistaken from the beginning." He gave a small sigh of defeat. "I would argue that you both should have tried harder to interrupt my deluded phantasms. But I suppose that wonderful scratch was a strong indicator. I had presumed it was all just a very convincing illusion created by my mind.

"This is relatively bizarre, I must say. As you had been asleep whenever I saw you. I had been assumption that you were exhausted, or rude, or perhaps even dead. But now both you and your puppeteer are the first beings I have been given a chance to encounter in this lieu. If it wasn't for the simple fact your body was present, even if your consciousness was not, I would have seen Zone 0 as a completely empty land."

"Zone 0? So, does that mean there are other places referred to as Zones?" Dorothy asked. It seemed like an odd name choice. Was it just a simple way of organizing it all?

"Indeed there are other Zones," the Judge confirmed as he walked by the wall of the tallest building, before stopping and crouching low. Looking ready to jump up. "And in those territories, the risk of hostile individuals attacking you in the most violent manner is quite high."

Dorothy bit her lip. She had already knew about the possibility of being harmed herself, but to hear it from someone else really solidified itself in her mind. But she got distracted by her concerns as the Judge pounced at the wall and began to scale up it quickly until he had reached the top with ease. It had easily impressed Dorothy as the building was perhaps four or five times the height of the one she was standing on.

"Let's continue," the Batter said, standing by the ladder and waiting for Dorothy to go first.

"Ah, yes," Dorothy quickly agreed and began climbing. Comparing climbing a ladder to scaling the way as the Judge had done, it felt understandable that Dorothy felt some envy and wished for a moment she could have been a cat. Or at least, had those types of skills.

Reaching the top at last, Dorothy turned around to look out onto the water. It seemed so vast and never ending. Had she not tasted some of it previously, she possibly would have mistaken it for a sea or an ocean.

"This way," the Judge called from the stairs that led inside the building. "The beginning to your journey is not too far now."

Dorothy waited until the Batter was up the ladder before they went to follow the Judge.

"Batter?" she asked the Batter, quietly to not be heard too much from the feline ahead who was already halfway down the first flight of stairs. "If you don't mind me asking, how long were you there for? Before I arrived here?"

"I can't really remember the exact date," he admitted. He was quiet for a moment before finally speaking again. "But I feel that it has been at least a year. Possibly more. I didn't have a way to track time."

"A year?! But, why were you there to begin with?" Dorothy found it hard to think of a reason for the Batter to remain in one spot for so long and alone. Even if he wasn't conscious.

"Its complex," the Batter replied simply. "I'd rather not go into details right now. Not until we leave this Zone first."

"Aha!" the Judge could be heard crying out cheerfully as they reached the ground floor. Dorothy looked out and saw the white cat run over to a bowel filled with what she had to guess was cat food of some sort which he proceeded to start eating eagerly. Dorothy was feeling very certain that she had liked cats back home, because the urge to aw at this was on the tip of her tongue but held it back. But that still didn't stop her from watching with a smile.

A tug at her sleeve, and she snapped her head at the tugger. The Batter just pointed towards a doorway which led to the other side of this building. Inwardly sighing, Dorothy nodded and walked towards the open exit. Like at the place Dorothy originally found herself, there was another narrow strip of land. Except it wasn't quite as long as a tall red door could be clearly seen. Standing on its own and appearing to be in a bit of a pointless position.

The sound of the Judge licking his lips and smacking them as her finished his meal could be faintly heard before he went to join Dorothy and Batter.

"A red door?" Dorothy murmured. "Is that how we're supposed to travel between Zones?" Considering there was a talking cat, strange tasting water and a monochrome man dressed as a baseball player, doors with some sort of power like travel between Zones just seemed to be the next step of things to be used to here.

"Of course! After all, how are you to go on your purifying quest if you cannot even enter any of the other Zones?" The Judge seemed to be teasing, though some faint smugness could be heard. "I doubt there shall be any difficulties in finding these doors as you travel Zone to Zone. They are usually red, and the colour will likely clash against the colours of the Zones they reside in."

Well… She supposed that wasn't overly shocking. Dorothy was certain she had seen similar types of doors in movies and books. Maybe even video games. But to physically experience it would still be cool.

"I now invite you to try it out, in order to discover locations more populous than this deserted land," Looking down, Dorothy saw the Judge sitting down in front of them, grinning widely. "Hurry towards the Zones without hesitation! Your only enemy is the fear that will grab you."

"Okay," the Batter nodded, appearing fully determined.

"Thank you, Judge. Will we see you again?" asked Dorothy.

"Do not worry, for I have no doubt we will newly meet one another eventually. I too travel through the different Zones of the world." Dorothy nodded.

"Well… Thank you again, Judge. Hope to see you-."

"Ah!" interrupted the Judge. "By the by, take this." His top of his tail moved behind his body where neither Dorothy nor Batter could see and when it swiftly came into eyesight again, there was a card held in it. "This object of a curious name will be the key that permits you to enter Zone 1."

He seemed to look a little embarrassed at nearly forgetting about it, but Dorothy decided to ignore it for his sake, took the card into her hand and looked it over. The front of the card was black with stars, and a line connecting them together to make a constellation. At the bottom of the card in what looked like a little banner, 'Leo' was written in silver. On the back of it, there was the eight of diamonds like one would see in a suit deck of cards.

Saying another thank you to the Judge, Dorothy walked to the red door with the Batter. She had held up the card, and was just looking for where to place the card when an unlocking click could be heard.

"It's open," the Batter murmured. "I never thought this day would come. The day when I would right the wrongs of this world and purify it and the scum that inhabit it." He paused for a moment and seemed to be considering something. "I suppose it is only right to thank you, Dorothy. You agreed to guide me through my destiny. If you hadn't, I would still be asleep."

"Oh. Well… You don't need to thank me." Dorothy let her mouth twitch a smile as she reached for the door handle and pulled it open. The Batter just kept his straight. But they seemed to be on neutral ground for the time being.

Maybe they would eventually build a friendship as time went by.


	4. Train Talks

The colour green was the first thing Dorothy noticed as she and Batter stepped into their first Zone, the door that had led them here from Zone 0 shutting softly behind them. So far from her first glance, it reminded Dorothy a lot of Zone 0, except the lemon yellow was replaced with a lime green. The water looked the same, and probably would have tasted the same if Dorothy had decided to drink some.

"So, this is Zone 1?" Dorothy asked Batter. She was starting to notice the light rain falling on them, but it was barely noticeable.

"Yes. We're in Elsen."

"Doesn't look like there's too much around," Dorothy commented as she looked around. The strip of green land led towards a single building, which had some kind of train in front of it.

"I think the train only stops here to do deliveries usually. Or to bring anyone that comes to this Zone to their destination here," explained the Batter.

"Then I guess the train is where we'll be going then," Dorothy said as she began to walk, Batter immediately following. "We… Don't have to pay. Do we? Because I have no money with me, and I don't know the currency here."

"As far as I know, they're free. And the currency in this world is credits."

"Credits?" Dorothy was a little amused by this. She could recall currency with that name used in works of the Sci-Fi and Dystopian genre as a bit of an unoriginal type of currency. So for that type of money to be used in a place that was certainly not in any way scientifically futurific from what she could see. Dystopian? She would just have to wait and see.

Dorothy observed the train as she and Batter walked up the steps of the platform. The first noticeable thing about it was that it was white and grey. The second was that it looked more like an old streetcar than a train. But it didn't really make any difference. Transport was transport. As long as they got from A to B, that was all that mattered.

"This train heads to Damien." Dorothy looked to her side where the Batter was looking at a bulletin board with the timetable printed on it. He looked down to her. "It leaves in two minutes."

"Does it say how long the trip lasts?" asked Dorothy as they began to board the train.

"Fifteen to twenty minutes about," Batter answered as he sat down. The train seats were against the wall, and there were handles hanging down for any standing passengers. Though with the time remaining until they left, there was little chance of that seeing how only Dorothy and Batter occupied the train.

"Batter?" Dorothy began as she sat next to him. The seats weren't too comfy, but bearable. "I was hoping that maybe you could tell me now how you ended up in Zone 0, asleep?"

"Does it really matter how it happened?" he asked. He looked Dorothy in the face, raising a questioning eyebrow. "We have a mission to complete. That is all that matters."

"But you couldn't have been asleep there with no reason," Dorothy quickly pointed out, just as the train started to move along the tracks. "If anything, it would imply someone knew of this mission and wanted to stop it. Yes?" The Batter didn't answer immediately, but he did appear to think over Dorothy's words. Said girl assumed he was trying to get his thoughts straight to answer properly.

"That would be true," the Batter finally admitted, looking away again and tugging the peak of his hat down a little. "My sleep was against my free will."

"Good. We're making progress," Dorothy muttered to herself under her breath. "But who caused it then? Someone you knew?"

"The Queen. She and I had a difference of opinion regarding purifying the world." Dorothy heard some hard bitterness on 'Queen'. A bit surprising since up to know, Batter had just sounded monotone and maybe a little bored. "It's not a surprise. She'll have to be purified as well in the end. Until then, some of our main targets will be the Spectres."

"Spectres? As in, ghosts? Spirits?"

"You could use those terms. They're nothing more but the echoes of suffering and sin, that want make this land impure and contaminate the people. We're also going to have to take out the one in charge of the Spectres in the Zones."

"Echoes of suffering and sin…?" Dorothy repeated to herself. "And I'll be giving you orders how to fight them?"

"Just give me an order to attack, and purification will be in progress until completed."

"And, what if I felt there was too much risk to your health? Could I order you to flee?" Dorothy asked. The Batter's hands clenched for a moment.

"I'd rather die in this mission than flee like a coward," he said, almost coldly.

"Some would call it smart." The Batter just tched in response. Dorothy glanced out the window to look at the view. Even in this Zone, the water had this strange white colour Zone 0 did. "Why exactly did this Queen do to you what she did?"

"Like I said, difference of opinion. I saw the world needed to be purified, and the Queen was in denial about it all."

"And when did you start noticing this… lack of purity?"

"… I just saw it. I heard it. Those voices…" the Batter trailed off. It was a moment before he started again. "Those voices told me and confirmed my beliefs. I know you heard them. When I was made unable to move, they assured me they would find me a puppeteer to guide me so I could finally begin this journey."

"I… I see." Dorothy cleared her throat. "And, why a puppet? Why did this Queen make you a living puppet?"

"I suppose she thought it would hinder me. And if I was unable to explain myself to a person nearby, how could I ask for someone to guide me? Leaving me in that empty Zone was just a precaution I suppose. If what the Judge said was true, no one else lives there."

"I can sort of see the sense in that," Dorothy said. The Batter looked at her, and seeing the faint traces of annoyance on his face, she was quick to add, "I'm just agreeing with you that the idea does seem fool proof for the most part. Although, she does seem arrogant if she thought that would be forever. If she was smarter, she would have done away with you completely."

"True. I suppose she was just too weak to kill me." The Batter looked away again. There was a small silence for several minutes. The only source of sound being rattling as the train moved along the tracks.

"How did the voices comes to you?" Dorothy was a little surprised by the Batter's question.

"The voices? Why are you asking?"

"I'm just… curious." Dorothy looked at the Batter. He was still staring straight ahead, and Dorothy was wondering if he was actually genuinely curious. But she replied,

"I was in darkness. I can't remember how I got there, but there was a pain in my head so I may have suffered some sort of head trauma beforehand. But I heard a voice. It made an offer and a fairly good argument to come here to help you."

"And what was that argument?"

"Frankly, there are two case scenarios for what's happened to me in my home world." Dorothy held a hand to her chin. "Whatever head injury I've received, it's either sent me into some sort of coma, or I'm dead. I didn't really have anything to loose coming here, and if I can do some good helping you in purifying the world then it will be well spent time. Besides, I don't exactly have my memories of home at the moment. I can't be missing much."

"No memories at all."

"No. But I was able to remember my name obviously. It could just be a temporary thing anyway. I'm sure my memories will come back with time." Dorothy paused for a moment as another thought came to mind. "Of course, chances are that this is in fact all a hallucinated dream and that none of it is real-OW!"

"You talk too much, sometimes," the Batter commented as he took his hand back. Dorothy grasped her hand immediately and she looked back to her companion, her mouth slightly agape.

"Did… Did you just pinch me?"

"That's how you prove you're awake, isn't it?" he asked bluntly.

"I think it's when you pinch yourself."

"Then do it and prove this is real."

"Fine," Dorothy muttered as she held some skin on her hand between her thumb and index finger. "I just won't try to purposely make it hurt like you did." Giving a small pinch just enough to feel a slight discomfort from it, Dorothy let her hand go. "Alright, I believe that is enough proof that this is no dream."

"Good. It will make you more attentive to our surroundings," the Batter nodded.

"One way of looking at it I suppose." Dorothy looked back outside. She saw some buildings coming closer to them. "Looks like we're nearly there, to Damien."

"Good to know."

Dorothy gave a small nod. It was good. Even if Dorothy didn't completely understand everything, she would eventually. She would ask and learn.

"Do… Do you have fate in me? In being your puppeteer?" It was something Dorothy had to ask before the train would stop and let them off. She needed to have an idea if the Batter had any kind of expectations or not about her, and if he felt she would live up to them. The Batter stood as they neared their stop. It seemed like he wasn't going to answer, but Dorothy was surprised when she stood herself and grabbed onto a train handle.

"You were chosen by them. I trust them, and their decisions. If they feel you were best suited to be my puppeteer and guide, then I don't think there is any reason to doubt you. So, yes. I believe I do have fate in you."

"… Thank you." Dorothy wasn't entirely sure what to say. She supposed the Batter may have meant it as a compliment. True, some doubt made her think his belief was only because of those voices. But Dorothy reasoned that they had not yet started purifying the world. She would have plenty of chances to get strong. That she assured herself as the train slowly came to its stop in Damien and the doors opened.

"I think then Batter, I should say then that… I promise to do my role as well as I can then."

* * *

><p><strong>Looking back over my previous chapters, I've only noticed now that I made a small mistake when describing the ground in chapter two. I got mixed up in what of the four elements was used to make the ground. But I've fixed it now XD<strong>

**Hoping you readers are still into this story :)**


	5. Damien Smoke Mines

Stepping off the train, Dorothy found herself coughing a little. The air felt a bit… heavier, when she breathed in. And Dorothy could have sworn that there was a certain smell as well, though she couldn't quite place it. A shame really seeing how it was just on the tip of her tongue. She had put off asking long enough. She had to know if it was normal or just in her head.

"Batter? Does the air always seem a bit… heavy, when it's breathed in? Or smell anything odd?" He had paused a moment but shuck his head.

"No. Feels the same to me. As far as I can tell at least. Maybe you're still getting use to the air here."

"I suppose it could be different to back home," Dorothy conceded as she looked up at a sign where 'Damien' was written in the same type of letters as the sign back in Elsen. "So, do the locals have a name? I mean, what would they be called as a-."

"The Elsens," the Batter cut across. "In all the Zones, they're called Elsen."

"Like… Like that area we got our train from?" If the local people were called Elsens back in… Well Elsen, Dorothy wouldn't bat an eyelid. But it…

… Then again, it wasn't that big of a deal, Dorothy supposed. She would have liked to know why, but it was a type of question she could leave in the back of her mind for now. Besides, she was a little more curious about what the Elsen were like in person. Hopefully they would be friendly at the very least. Elsen didn't sound very threatening, so Dorothy allowed herself to expect that.

"Oh, uh… Welcome to the smoke mines."

Having walked to what Dorothy had to guess was a mine, they met whom Dorothy could only assume was one of the Elsens. They were certainly… non-threatening, that was for certain. The one who had come to greet her and Batter was wringing his hands nervously, and there were some shadows under his eyes (that were darting between Batter and Dorothy, as though expecting an attack) from what could have been a lack of sleep. Or perhaps it was a common trait. At least two other Elsen passing by them had shadows under their eyes. They also seemed to dress the same in a white shirt, black trousers and tie, and Dorothy could hear their voices rasping as they talked.

Definitely nothing to really worry about.

"M-may I know who the two of you are?" The small frown on the Elsen's mouth looked more anxious. "Are you inspectors?" Dorothy had contemplated lying (it would possibly make it easier to get through this area), but Batter had spoken first.

"No. I'm the Batter. I've come to exterminate the impure spirits with Dorothy, my guide." The Elsen had stared at him, looking a bit uncertain what to say.

"… Impure… Are you some sort of… prophet? Or man of belief?"

"Yeah. Something like that."

"And she…?"

"Like he said, I'm his… guide. Of sorts," Dorothy explained as she took off her glasses briefly to clean some of the rain drops on her glasses off on her shirt. The Elsen seemed disappointed. Already Dorothy wanted to talk to other Elsens in hope that none of them were as sad as this guy.

"So… You're not a member of the superior personal?" the Elsen asked.

"N-no. I'm not." 'Unless it somehow happened while I was asleep,' she added in her thoughts before asking, "Um, you said this was a smoke mine I think? How exactly does that work?"

"Oh, it's quite simple really. Once you learn the tools and such," the Elsen said with a… well, not a smile. But his frown had lessened at least.

"Here in the south area of Zone 1, we send workers into deep tunnels to unearth metal from the ground, to free the embedded smoke trapped in the depths of it. We use a variety of tools to bottle the smoke, so that the Queen can distribute it out to the other Zones. The rest of it flows free for us to inhale and exhale from our lungs. So we can, uh… live. And not die.

"It's the most important of the four elements, you see. It comes first. Without smoke, people would have nothing to breathe."

"… I'm breathing in smoke?" Dorothy asked as it slowly sank in. It definitely explained why the air felt funny, and even had a smell when she arrived in this part of Zone 1. It made sense now. It was something the Batter and everyone else was breathing in, but for her it was something she only smelled when passing by someone who smoked or was near a fireplace that was smoky. Her memory might not exactly be able to validate whether those things have ever happened to her, but the fact her sense of smell noticed it must have meant something along those lines had happened at least once. Of course, that also made her remember that smoke was generally not so healthy for lungs. But she felt fine more or less for now so Dorothy decided to not let herself worry over the smoke. She was probably immune to the adverse effects in this world like everyone else seemed to be.

But she made a mental note anyway to ask some more about that later when Batter immediately asked the question on his mind.

"Where are the impures?"

"The… Well, there are plenty of those Spectres in the mines. They're becoming more aggressive actually. We sent word for help, but no one's come yet. We actually thought that perhaps you may have been the sent help, but…"

"We'll go then," the Batter said. Not so much as an offer, but a statement.

"I-I'm sorry, I can't let you two go," declined the Elsen, holding his hands up. "I-I'd like to, but-but it's against the rules no visitors."

"But don't you want those Spectres gone?" Dorothy questioned. The Elsen swallowed thickly before stuttering out,

"W-well there's an annex tunnel. No one ever really goes there. But, one miner did a while ago and… And he said he saw something strange. Nothing like usual, at all. M-maybe it could be the Chief of the Spectres? You could take care of him. Then the Spectres will go and we can work again!"

"Could be a tough fight. Do you think you can handle it so soon?" Dorothy asked the Batter as she looked up at him.

"I have no doubts at all that I can. Where's the tunnel?" he asked the Elsen, who immediately pointed down in the direction of a tunnel with stairs not too far from them.

"Th-that way!"

Dorothy said a quick thank you before allowing Batter to lead the way down the tunnel. There was a damp smell, and the coldness in the tunnel felt a bit worse since they were a little damp from the rain. But it wasn't too bad. At least for now. But the lanterns on the wall were enough to light the way, and the ground thankfully didn't have anything did would cause them to fall or have some similar accident. Glancing over the side of the Batter, Dorothy thought she saw a faint white light up ahead but-.

"My, my," a very familiar voice sounded out. The Batter had stopped, nearly causing Dorothy to bump into his back. "Who do we have here? Is that not Miss Dorothy and her picturesque jumping jack, the Batter?" Dorothy stepped to the side and looked down, seeing the white cat she knew to be the Judge.

"Judge? What are you doing here?" Dorothy paused briefly. "And as a matter of fact, how did you get here first?"

"Never underestimate a feline, my dear," the Judge replied, his teeth almost glowing in the lantern light as he smiled. "Cunningness is often associated with my kind for a reason after all. And as for your former question, I did say I like to go for excursions now and then, did I not?"

"So, you aren't the Spectres' leader then?" questioned the Batter, and Judge just shook his head as he laughed lightly.

"Ah, no no, certainly not. I am only passing through, not unlike the smoke that originates from this pale and metallic place. If anything, I believe there has been a mild misunderstanding."

"What sort of misunderstanding?" Dorothy raised a brow as she tried to think of what the Elsen could have mistaken for a Spectre. Though if they were all like the one the Batter and her had just spoken to, it really could have been anything. Especially with this dim lighting.

"It's just up ahead, dear companions." The Judge turned to lead them, and both Batter and Puppeteer followed. They stopped near some crates. The Judge sat and nudge his head in the direction behind the crates.

"Just behind these wooden boxes, dear friends."

The pair leaned over to look behind the crates. There was a floating white ring, about the size of a hula-hoop or a little smaller, that held a faint glow around it. The image of an angel's halo to come to Dorothy's mind as she looked at it.

"What is it?" the Batter asked as he looked back to the Judge.

"To tell the truth, I am perplexed," he admitted, giving a small shrug. "I think it's one of those peculiar objects called a spherical Add-On. I have very well tried to approach it, but the operation has systematically failed so far. But I am thinking… Maybe one of you could successfully affiliate this spiritual entity to yours."

"What do you think?" Batter looked to Dorothy, who momentarily froze.

"Oh… Er…" Dorothy looked back to the ring. "… It doesn't look like it will do us harm. It might even come in hand for our mission."

"It could," Batter agreed with no sound of doubt as he eyed the floating ring with mild curiosity. The ring seemed to have heard them since it faced both the Batter and Dorothy. Or, whatever the equivalent would be. "One of us should touch it. Do you wish to do it, or shall I?"

Dorothy thought it over in her mind. Chances were whoever touched them would likely have control. So almost immediately Dorothy wanted to let Batter do it. He was obviously the fighter between the two of them, and would probably have some better ideas how to fight with them than she. But then another thought occurred to the young woman. What if something were to happen to Batter, leaving her alone. Such as if he got knocked out or something. She had no weapons, and this Add-On would be helpful to at least distract whatever foe they may be against while Dorothy helped Batter. The thoughts that seemed to lean towards accepting the ring herself almost made Dorothy feel a bit selfish. The only thing that kept her from declining was the fact that if anything happened to her, it would be cripple the Batter's progress. She was thinking of staying alive herself, but what human being wouldn't?

"I think it would be best if I did it. I can't exactly expect you to be my sole guardian all the time," Dorothy eventually said, hiding her hesitance as she tried to read the Batter's reaction.

"Alright then." He seemed indifferent to it as far as Dorothy could tell. If he actually thought differently was another story altogether but as the decision was pretty much made now, Dorothy nodded before approaching the ring with only a little guard up. Swallowing nervously the young woman reached her arm out, ready to draw it back in if necessary. But the ring stayed in a benign mood, and appeared to even move closer to Dorothy's outreached hand.

Stealing her nerves, she grasped it. There was a brief flash of white, and the ring was gone.

"Where did it…" Dorothy trailed off when she saw a mark on the back of her right hand. It looked like a tattoo of a black ring with a small symbol in the middle of it that looked a little similar to a lowercase 'a'. The Batter looked at her hand with some interest.

"I suppose the Add-On's joined us, then. But we still need to know how to summon it."

"Oh, uh… Judge. Do you think you know what this symbol might be?" Dorothy knelt down as she held her hand out for the Judge to see. Pointing to the letter in the middle of the ring marked on her hand.

"Hmm, I believe that's the symbol for alpha. If I had to make an educated guess, that is more than likely the Add-On's name. Perhaps saying it might summon it to your aid?"

"It would be practical," noted the Batter as he held his chin in thought. "And you haven't seen the Chief of the Spectres?"

"I'm sorry but I fear I have to respond to the negative," the Judge apologised. "Apart from the Add-On, I have not crossed the way of a single soul in this lieu."

"Then we'll have to get into the main mines then. I doubt there will be any trouble convincing the Elsen we spoke with to let us through when they find out there's nothing here."

"Then I won't keep either of you occupied any longer." The Judge stood on his legs and stretched out before he began to make his exit from the annex. "Until we meet, my friends." As he quickly strolled up the steps, Dorothy looked around one last time before she and the Batter made their leave as well and continue their search for the Chief of the Spectres of this Zone.


End file.
